By God’s grace and our faith we are saved and our names are placed into the Book of Life and we are then responsible for keeping our Father’s commandments. And very interestingly the last two chapters of the Bible record how three groups of Saints were judged for their works at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Two of these groups were sentenced to live forever in the Eternal Age on the New Earth and walk in the light of the City of God that has come down from heaven to earth. One of these two groups was found obedient in keeping their Father’s commandments and: blessed are they that do his commandments that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter in through the gates into the City. (Rev. 22:14) But the other group was found wicked and disobedient and they have no right to the tree of life nor may they enter into the City of God. (Rev. 22:14) So: without (The City of God) are dogs, sorcerers and whoremongers and murders and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.(Rev.22:15) And the Apostle Paul had warned the Saints of Corinth decades earlier about the severe punishment in heaven for disobedience and said: Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners shall inherit the Kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9 & Ephesians 5:5) Later we will see that the names of God’s disobedient children are blotted out of the Book of Life.
And finally, a third group of Saints were judged worthy to live in the City of God and to rule and reign with Jesus as his Bride. They are the Overcomers that Jesus had promised: would sit with me in my throne even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his throne, Rev.3:21. They are further described in Rev. 22: 3-5 as follows: the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it (City of God) and his servants shall serve him. And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. …. and they shall reign forever and ever.
So the Bible is clear from beginning to end that God’s children are required to keep their Father’s commandments and if they do keep his commandments, according to Jesus in Matthew 5:19, they will be great in heaven and if they do not keep his commandments, they will be the least in heaven. So obedience in this world after one is saved determines his status in the next world because Saints are God’s “workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)
And now God is watching and recording his children’s works and he will reward or punish them, in heaven, accordingly just as Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 says: Fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.
And 2 Corinthians 5:10-11, likewise, says: We (Christians) labour, that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of God. For we must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ that everyone may receive the things done in the body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.
And Jesus, himself, said: Behold, I come quickly and my reward is with me to give every man according as his work shall be. Rev. 22:12
And Acts 24:15 further warns the Christian that there will be two resurrections of the Saved: one of the just and one of the unjust.
And Daniel 12:2 describes the two resurrections as follows: Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
And 1 Corinthians 3:9-15 further warns disobedient Saints that: if any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. In other words, if a Christian is so wicked after he is saved that all of his works burn up he not only suffers a loss of rewards in heaven, he is physically punished by fire.
And Hebrews 10:26 repeats this fiery warning as follows: If we (Christians) sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries. (And the context continues to verses 30&31 to say) The Lord shall judge his people and it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
And the Prophet Ezekiel further reveals how Saints are judged at the Judgement Seat of Christ:
If a son has done that which is lawful and right and has kept all of God’s statues and done them, he shall surely live, but the soul that sins it shall surely die.
But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed and keep all of God’s statues and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him in the righteousness that he hath done, he shall live.
And when the righteous turn away from his righteousness and commits iniquity and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he has trespassed and in his sin that he has sinned, in them shall he die. (Ezekiel 18: 19-24)
And since there will be such a vast difference in the status of His children throughout all eternity, no doubt, this is why Jesus warns the Saints again and for the last time in the last chapter of the Bible that: He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be, Rev.22:11-12.
I slept and dreamed that life was joy.
I woke to find that life was duty.
I acted and found that duty was joy.
As we noted earlier the names of disobedient and evil Saints will be blotted out of the Book of Life. (See Rev.3:4-5 & Rev. 2:11& Rev. 21:27) They are still Saved; but they are severely punished, in heaven, as Col. 3:24-25 says:
Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the
reward of the inheritance for ye serve the Lord Christ.
But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the
wrong which he hath done and there is no respect
of persons.
THE FOLLOWING FIVE VERSES DESCRIBE THE BOOK OF LIFE.
* And I entreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which labored wit h me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellow laborers, whose names are in the book of life. Philippians 4:3
The Book of Life lists God’s laborers.
* Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white for they are worthy. He that overcometh shall be clothed in white raiment and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. Revelation 3:4-5.
Jesus sent this message to the Overcomers in the Church of Sardis saying that he will not blot their names out of the Book of Life because they are worthy. He sends Overcomers in the following six Churches a similar message because: he that overcometh shall inherit all things and I shall be his God and he shall be my son. Rev. 21:7
To the Church of Smyrna:
He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
(second death is the lake of fire)
To the Church of Philadelphia:
He that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God
and he shall go no more out and I will write upon him the name
of my God.
To the Church of Laodicea:
To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my
throne even as I also overcame and am set down with my
Father in his throne.
To the Church of Ephesus:
To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life
which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
To the Church of Pergamos:
To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna.
To the Church of Thyatira:
To him that overcometh and keepeth my works unto the end,
to him will I give power over the nations.
In stark contrast, the disobedient Saints in these seven Churches are told to repent.
But I have a few thing against thee (Pergamos) because thou hast there them
that hold the doctrine of Balaam. … repent or else I will come unto
thee quickly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
I have a few things against thee (Thyatira) because thou sufferest that woman
Jezebel.
I know thy works (Sardis) that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
He that hath an ear (Philadelphia) let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches.
I know the blasphemy (Smyrna) of them which say that they are Jews and are not.
Because thou sayest, I am rich (Laodicea) and increased with goods
and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and
miserable and poor and blind and naked. I counsel thee to buy of me
gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich.
* And it was given unto him (the Beast) to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written
in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Revelation 13:7&8
Obedient Saints will not worship the Beast and they are beheaded and their
names are written in the Book of Life.
* And I saw a great white throne and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was open, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Rev 20:12-15
The Lost are being judged above for their works at the Great White Throne Judgement which takes place at the close of the Kingdom Age. The Book of Life is there to confirm who is saved and obedient; but no names of the Lost are in the Book of Life for they would not accept the payment Jesus made for them. And they are cast into the lake of fire to be punished forever and ever according to the sentence they are receiving now.
The Saved were judged for their works a thousand years earlier at the Judgement Seat of Christ when Jesus returned in glory to establish the kingdom Age. At that time according to John 5:28-29: all that are in their graves shall hear his (Jesus) voice and shall come forth:
they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life
they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of condemnation.
Saints that “have done good” are raised in “the resurrection of life” and are brought to the Kingdom to rule and reign with Jesus as his Bride. This is the “first resurrection”:
But the rest of the dead lived
not again until the thousand years
were finished. This is the first
resurrection.
Blessed and holy is he that hath
part in the first resurrection: on such
the second death hath no power, but
they shall be priest of God and of
Christ and shall reign with him a
thousand years. Rev. 20:5-6
Saints that were judged evil after they were saved at the the Judgement Seat of Christ will die again and do not live again for a thousand years when they are raised in the “resurrection of condemnation”. Although they are still saved they will be hurt by the second death which is the lake of fire just as 1 Cor. 3:15 also says: If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved: yet so as by fire”. And the following scriptures, likewise, warn disobedient Saints that they will be punished by fire. However, the first three of these verses assure the Overcomer (obedient Saint) that he will not be hurt by fire.
1) To the Church of Smyrna:
He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
Rev. 2:11
2) To the Church of Sardis:
He that overcometh the same shall be clothed in white raiment
and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life. Rev. 3:5
3) He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God,
and he shall be my son. But the fearful and unbelieving and the abominable
and murders and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which
burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. Rev. 21:7-8
And 4
Let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably
with reverence and Godly fear: for our God is a consuming
fire. Hebrews 12:28
And 5:
I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without cause
shall be in danger of the judgement: and whosoever shall say to his brother,
raca, shall be in danger of hell fire. Matthew 5:22
If thy right hand offend thee, cut it off and cast it from thee: for it is profitable
for thee that one of thy members should perish and not thy whole body should
should be cast into hell. Matthew 5:30
And 6:
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God and that the Spirit
of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God,
him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which
temple ye are. 1 Cor. 3:16
And 7:
Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Psalms 2:11
And 8 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and
keep commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret
thing, whether it be good or bad. Ecclesiastes (12:13-14).
And 9 And finally, when the Apostle Paul warned the Christians
of Corinth that their good and bad works will be judged at the
Judgement Seat of Christ he added the following ominous warning:
knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. (2 Cor. 5-11)
*There shall in no wise enter into it (the City of God) anything that
defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie,
but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” Rev.21:27
So Saints that were blotted out of the Lamb’s Book of Life and raised in the “resurrection of condemnation” shall in no wise enter into the City of God for they would defile it.
Interestingly, as we noted earlier, the Apostle Paul had warned the Saints of Corinth about the extreme punishment in heaven for God’s disobedient children. Paul even cites himself as being fearful of his disobedience by saying: “I keep under my body and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means when I have preached to others I myself should be a castaway.” (1 Cor. 9:27) Paul then cites the evil Children of Israel who passed through the sea with Moses and were baptized in the cloud and the sea and drank of that spiritual Rock of Christ that followed them; but God was not pleased with many of these Saints for they were idolaters, fornicators and murders and they were overthrown in the wilderness. And Paul concludes: “the things that were written about them (evil Saints) are for our examples that we should not lust after evil things as they did. Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.” (I Cor. 9:27 -- 1 Cor. 10:6)
And Jesus, likewise, said this about disobedient Saints lusting after evil things in this
world and being punished for it eternally in heaven: What is a man advantaged if he
gains the whole world, and be cast away?
So as hard as it is to reconcile, we must acknowledge that the famous Saint, King Solomon, was a notorious idolater and his sin of “idolatry” is listed with the “dogs and sorcerers and whoremongers and murders and idolaters and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.” that are “without” the City of God. (Rev. 22:15). According to 1 Kings 11:1-11 Solomon’s wives turned away his heart after other gods when he was old and he did evil in the sight of the Lord and he built high places for the gods of Chemosh and Moab and Molech for their human sacrifices. And God rent the kingdom from him.
And yet, Solomon also wrote three books of the Bible: deal with that. And deal with this: the record a Saint dies with is the record he arrives in heaven with. As the poet said:
The moving finger writes, and having writ moves on:
Nor all thy piety nor wit shall lure it back to cancel half a line,
Nor all thy tears wash out a word of it.
So:
SOLOMON’S NAME COULD HAVE BEEN ENTERED INTO THE BOOK OF LIFE AS A BELIEVER WHEN HE WAS YOUNG AND OBEDIENT AND LOVED OF GOD AND BLOTTED OUT WHEN HE WAS OLD AND EVIL
Therefore:
Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do
of his good pleasure
Do all things without murmurings and disputing: that
you may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God,
without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse
nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.
Philippians 2:12-15
The Preacher
